Tag Archives: Daily Picture

The sailing was wonderfull. We were heading south and had between 15 – 20 knots wind from the south. We were sailing between islands and could make nice tacks. Because we had no water in the tanks anymore, it was sailing with Speed with the capital S switched on.

We left Molat totally relaxed, however we had to expect bad compay in Iz Veli.

We got Austrian neighboors there, ai, about 2 boats with 8 people each. They kept us awake up to 03:30 hours by drinking, stupid jokes and loud laughing, despite being asked to silence up frequently. I never go to Austria again! But maybe that has more to do on some stupidity on my side when driving back to the Netherlands. I didn’t by a vignette (of ca. EUR 10,=) at the border for the Austrian highways and I was checked before buying one. They fined me with EUR 120,=, how inappropriate ; – )

First week in back in the Netherlands was not so hard as I would have expected.

Nothing has really changed. I have coffees and a sandwich at Café Thijssen (my Amsterdam office) instead of a lunch with fresh fish, I am reading the latest financial news in the FD instead of information about harbours and bays in sailing pilots. Work is like working in my Murter office as in the picture above. It is just all the same! Lucky me.

Next days / weeks / months will keep me busy with making a coherent and consistent story – the moments of truth – of my travelling.

You will find the results here through a picture, map or a story published on this website periodically and I will be improving the website.

Something I would like to start using is some cool extra functionality I found in the software I use for displaying the maps and pictures (XML Google Maps and NGG Galleries). It basically reads the GPS data from my geotagged pictures managed by NGG and displays it in Google Maps automatically, as you can see to the right.

Scoop of the day is the visit of three generations of dolphins to our boat.

It was very close to the island Hvar on the line of the village Jagodni Bd and the islands Hridi Lukavei and they were with about 10-15 of them. I clearly recognized the grandparents and the youngers. The first because of their grace, the last because their playing with the boat, closely guarded by their parents.

Never saw so many dolphins together in the Adriatic Sea. Really hope this will only become more normal with the current efforts for the environment.

Picture was taken between Split and Hvar just before going between the islands Brac and Solta.

Before this crossing there was almost no wind to sail. After the crossing it rose to 15 – 20 knots. So the only scientific explanation for this kind of weather phenomenon is off course: happy sailing to be expected because We (the wind Gods) will turn on the wind up to 15 – 20 knots.

To be included in the next edition of the Ancient Coasts Adriatic Sailing Almanac (although I am not sure yet if I should limit it to the Adriatic alone)

Off course I had to go to the Kornati Archipel again. This time no nice little Kornatian village but took a mooring at Uvala Kruscevica this time. This very nice bay is located in Telascica on the island Dugi Otok.

The next day we cruised through the Kornati, enjoying every single moment of it. Taking enough pictures to create a bible on though I think I will start with a tripartite.

We ended up that day in Prvic. A very relaxed cosy village on the island… Prvic. The next day was my best sailing day ever. Wind of about 18 knots, sunny and tacking to Primosten, for a good dive into the water. Circa 20 miles sailing and around 10 miles distance over ground. After the cooling down on to Rogoznica using the engine. Next days to Stomorska (excellent relaxed town on Otok Solta), Trogir (you will have to visit the cathedral) and finally Split (with the palace of the Roman emperor Diocletianus).

Daily Picture

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From the upperleft corner clockwise:

Uvala Kruscevica, Sailing to Primosten, Kornati Archipel (again), Rogoznica, an Italian sailing yacht close to Primosten and finally St. John in the west wing chapel of the Cathedral in Trogir.

Back in Murter again for some days after a long weekend sailing the neighborhood with 4 friends.

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Provides me therefore with some time to do some office work again. The usual analysing of the GPS data and the geocoding of my pictures. Further I will try to make some plans for next week. Crew yet to be found unfortunately, although almost found last minute someone. Looks like I have to exercise my single handed sailing skills. Would love to go more to the Kornati and the Island Vis. In between so many beautifull cities.

Another part of my office routines today was having coffee with a Dutch couple two boats further amongst the quay. They are sailing around Croatia for over 20 years now and learned the sweet spots from a friend of theirs sailing the 30 years before. Almost half a century experience. They lend me their pilots with all their annotations but they will be leaving tomorrow. Looks like I have to study until late today.

To finalize one Daily Picture, a picture of the Kornati Archipel again.

Daily Picture

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A daily picture of the Kornati again because lucky enough we (the 5 of us) went there again and ended up in Lavsa, the bay you see in the picture above. The original plan was to go to Striznja but the dark skies with the thunder and lightning heading to us (no worry, I get rather used to it) made me decide to find an anchoring a little bit earlier.

After the Lavsa went to Vodice and the Contrast between Kornati and Vodice couldn’t be bigger. The last being a full fledged disco village with bars, bars and… bars.

Being together with my friends made me think of Cafe Thijssen in Amsterdam again. Being asked what I would do first when back in Amsterdam, I could only think about a double espresso at Café Thijssen while reading “Het Financieele Dagblad”.

The Future

What will it be next week? Will I be sailing single handed or will I find someone to join the last minute? How will the weather develop? Will the Croatians call this the worst sailing summer officially? I know I have been lucky having lost only one day to the weather (although fled to Budapest because of it). Will I be sailing to the Island Vis next week? I will keep you posted.

Back in Murter again. After sailing for 5 weeks from Murter to Venice and back, highlights: First of all Venice off course. I am still a little bit flabbergasted that I have sailed to that city. Almost even impressive: Trieste, Pula and the Kornati Archipel. And what to think about the places like Molat, Luka Krijal, Vrulje and Sali in Croatia and Piran in Slovenia.

Now a week easy going here in Murter, no crew and a lot of rain forecasted for the next week. As I am writing this posts a Bora is slapping my face again. People might think she is secretly becoming my girlfriend. Not in a zillion years! But I getting used to her. Is that a good start for a steady relationship?

Currently sitting in a restaurant and the rain pours though the roof, really, it is just no joke. Excellent conditions to do some posting about routes, ancient places and the beauty of the Adriatic, analysing the GPS data and getting the route sailed into Google Earth. I am just very happy the weathergods like Helius, Selene, Eos, Boreas, Zephyrus and Hesperus allowed me to sail this roundtrip without any real obstacles through wind and rain.

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As a cliffhanger just the two above photographs as an impression what you can expect the next days. The first being the St. Marks Basilica at Venice, the second a very cosy bay in Croatia named Luka Krijal. Although both quite nice, not even close to a summary of my trip.

Don’t know when the next will be. Internet access in Italy is hard to find due to anti-terroristm laws. Whenever you want to access the internet it has to be registered, you have to show your ID of which a copy will be made. Off course, as Keynes would have predicted over 100 years ago, internet access is then small in supply, high in demand (maybe I’m a little bit biased in that assumption) and high in price.

Hard thing for me to accept, used to free internet in every bar as in Amsterdam and off course having mobile internet (as in Croatia). Italy, back in the future. And Mr. Future, please shine a light on Italy. But maybe it is just local politics. Belusconi, the media mogul and boss of Italy, has a rather long position in Media… From a financial as well as a more Machiavellian viewpoint.

The Italian Internet access restrictions are a things I didn’t expect on forehand. The same accounts for the high prices of the marina’s and the weather for the last 3 weeks.

Next crew will arrive in about an hour. Meeting point will be the centre of Piazza San Marco. Is the place most close to my marina. Did I tell you that already? O wait, one more picture in the serie “A Day at the Office”.

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Did you see the Campanile through the sailing yachts? (big smile here)

Next post most likely from Croatia again. If weather permits I would like to go as fast as possible to Pula.